Addict Allegedly Stole Dying Daughter's Opioids

(Newser)
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Police in Missouri say a dying woman didn't get the oxycodone and fentanyl she was prescribed because her mother stole the drugs to feed her opioid addiction. Carol Ballweg—charged with abusing a vulnerable person and stealing a controlled substance—allegedly admitted to stealing painkillers from her 20-year-old daughter, whom she served as primary caregiver, per WDAF. State health officials were already investigating when hospice staff raised suspicions, claiming Ballweg repeatedly asked for her daughter's prescriptions ahead of schedule, per the Kansas City Star. A urine test then revealed "no signs of her prescribed medication" in the daughter's system, police say. Bond is set at $100,000. (Read more opioids stories.)